Vixen Vent: The Deeper Issues Behind the Death of Miriam Carey

Vixen

This is another case of an African American suffering from mental illness and not receiving the proper medical attention to address the underlying issues she was facing. Yes, she was taking medication, but history has shown us with the untimely deaths of many celebrities, that drugs simply numb the pain, not get rid of it. In the case of Miriam Carey, postpartum depression is a diagnosis not widely addressed. Studies have shown that post partum is more likely in African American women. This diagnosis is often frowned upon by others because a mother admitting that she is not overjoyed about the birth of her child is viewed as cold. The criticism is that a woman who is overtaken by sadness after the birth of her child is not worthy of being a mother. I am a mother. I can relate to the feeling of being completely overwhelmed and at times sad when you first have a child. The sleepless nights, endless crying, not being able to eat or having the energy to even go out for a walk can have very adverse effects on a new mother. Your life changes literally in a blink of an eye. Some adjust with ease and others go through bouts of depression. When I felt down I got through it by calling other mothers who could relate to how I was feeling and ensuring me that it would pass. I am thankful that it did, but what about those who aren’t so fortunate? Carey obviously wasn’t in her right mind because she went on her reckless driving spree with her infant daughter in the backseat. She surely was not thinking about what would happen to her little girl. There are tons of cases of women who suffered from postpartum psychosis who either killed their child(ren) or killed both themselves and their child(ren). Simply throwing drugs at people with mental illnesses is not the solution. This is a “solution” society seems to accept with open arms.